Coop Setup? Food, shavings..etc.

[black_cat]

THANK YOU so much for all the helpful info. I don't have a coop yet! I'm ordering it this week and will have it soon
I'm trying to load my brain with all the info and knowledge I can so I'm prepared once the coop gets here so I can make it perfect for my little ladiesI'm located in Central NJ. Right now it's snowing and 30 degrees. So my 8 week old babes can't go outside just yet.
I will add my location to my profile. Thanks again!

You say that you're ordering it......what coop are you ordering?

 

[AmberNate]

Feed and water are inside coop for several reasons, mostly because my run is not weather proof....and for my set up and climate it's just easier for me the keeper.


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture
-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).
There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.
That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

Seeing your coop and run would help us give you more specific advice.
You can see mine on My Coop page.

Also.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2534810

THANK YOU so much for all the helpful info. I don't have a coop yet! I'm ordering it this week and will have it soon
I'm trying to load my brain with all the info and knowledge I can so I'm prepared once the coop gets here so I can make it perfect for my little ladiesI'm located in Central NJ. Right now it's snowing and 30 degrees. So my 8 week old babes can't go outside just yet.
I will add my location to my profile. Thanks again!

 

[AmberNate]

You say that you're ordering it......what coop are you ordering?

Not sure yet! Any suggestions??

 

[AmberNate]

I use my grass clippings from mowing my lawn in the coops. I spread it out, to dry it out, under my gazebo.. then bag it up for coops, brooding pens and nesting boxes. It is replaced once a month in coops and every 2 weeks in the brooding pens. It then goes onto the compost heap. I have water and food both in and out of the coops.

I use coarse river sand.. placed in cut and inverted old tyres which gets wood ash added to it here and there, for their dust baths. They love it.

My birds free range. I keep bantams. None of them are vaccinated.

Great idea with the grass clippings!
This info helps so much. Thank you!

 

[AmberNate]

Leave the run as is. Only put bedding inside the coop.

Ok, awesome. Thank you!

 

[AmberNate]

I am not a shavings person.

What do you like to use??

 

[AmberNate]

When the coop smells, that certainly a good time to give it a good cleaning. You can use straw, pine shaving for bedding and nest material. They are not picky.

Great! Thank you!

 

[gimmie birdies]

I like yellow straw. Hens don't eat it.

 

[AmberNate]

I would suggest to get a shovel and till the dirt over time when it become hard and full of poo. My chickens loved when I till the dirt for fresh soil. They went bonkers to catch earth worm beneath when the turn soil became too fertile.

When they see me with the shovel, they know to come back to their coop! LOL

Ok awesome! Good idea.. cause the poop will naturally compost into the dirt over time correct?

 

[AmberNate]

Can you post pictures of your coop and run?
Where are you located in the world? Climate will affect how you design/improve your setup.
No poop trays.
No DE or lime.
I keep food and water in the run, both elevated to minimize what will get scratched into them.
Food is in the hanging troughs in this picture. Water is not in the camera view. It's a heated base fount waterer kept at chest height on a block.

I had two batches of shipped chicks vaccinated for Marek's. All hatched chicks are au naturale.
View attachment 2533662
I use poop boards in the coop, cleaned daily. Hemp bedding and/or pine shavings on the coop floor, cleaned annually. Wood chips in the run, add more annually. The chickens dig holes and dust bathe willy nilly around the run. Chopped straw in the nest boxes.
View attachment 2533669
Avoid citrus, avocado peels, apple seeds and pits. I also avoid excessively fibrous veggie waste like broccoli stems.
No automatic door out of the run...yet. I have the components and will be making my own door.

Hi! Thank you for all the helpful info!
I don’t have my coop yet. Ordering it this week. I have a couple I’ve narrowed it down to. I’m in Central NJ. Currently 30 degrees and snowing. Hot and humid summers. The coop will be located in a shady spot.
I got my chicks when they were 3 days old from a chicken breeder place.
No other farm animals on the property. So not too worried about disease.
I’ve read DE or lime can help with mites/lice? Do you use something else to help with pests?
thank you for the photos!